"What it takes to turbocharge a Porshce, including the turbocharger" – North American 944 Turbo Advertisement

The following 1986 print advertisement helped outline the differences between the Porsche 944 Turbo and its normally aspirated counterparts, making note of all the changes that the company deemed necessary for the car to be badged as a Porsche.

The print advertisement shows a cross-section style photograph of some of the new components of the 944 Turbo (M44/51), including the suspension, aero-components, engine components, and the turbocharger itself.

The article reads:

The theory that a whole is greater than the sum of its parts did not originate with Professor Porsche.

But he, for one, wholeheartedly subscribed to it.

Because if he’s learned anything in four decades of building cars, it’s that a change in one component can profoundly affect the performance of the others. And ultimately, the performance of the whole car.

Nowhere is this truth more evident than in the area of turbocharging.

Porsche pioneered this technology for production cars back in 1975. And realized right from the start that simply bolting on a turbocharger, tweaking the engine a little and re-naming the car was the wrong way to go about it.

The right way is revealed below.

Every component shown here was deemed necessary to transform a normally aspirated 944 into a turbocharged 944.

Major engine components, more than 30 in all, to compensate for increased internal loads and heat.

Chassis components, from shock absorbers and brakes to wheels and tires, to meet higher performance demands.

To say nothing of the turbocharger itself which, among other innovative bits of technology, includes two water cooling systems to protect turbine bearings, even after the engine is turned off.

Of course, if we hadn’t gone to such lengths with the 944, we could still have built a turbo.

We just couldn’t have built a Porsche.

The printed advertisement can be viewed below.

“What it takes to turbocharge a Porsche, including the turbocharger” advertisement

[*] This print advertisement is copyright Dr.Ing.h.c.F.Porsche AG and Porsche Cars North America. All Rights Reserved. It is used solely for educational purposes, and not for profit. It should be not be considered representative of Dr.Ing.h.c.F.Porsche AG of Porsche Cars North America.